


Lost and Found Lin

by jenstraflintlocked



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: eventual kyalin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:13:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28054440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jenstraflintlocked/pseuds/jenstraflintlocked
Summary: another fic idea that won't leave me alone
Comments: 4
Kudos: 32





	1. Chapter 1

They’d put thought into her prison, Lin gave them that. She was in a cage, wood by the feel, rough wood by the splinters she’d picked up in her bare feet. Judging by the swaying she could induce, it was suspended, over somewhere that had a certain depth-y feel to it. She wasn’t sure whether it was day or night. The cave was pitch black. Her armour was gone and anything else made of metal apart from a pair of platinum handcuffs.

She considered that a bit over the top. It wasn’t as if she was going anywhere. Then again, maybe the handcuffs showed they were respecting her abilities. She prided herself on not just being a bender, having grown up with Sokka and Suki as practically her uncle and aunt, not to mention Bumi as a best friend.

It was cold, she knew that for certain, dressed in her vest and trousers. But the rest was up in the air as to why she was here. Maybe one of those goons always sending her death threats finally plucked up the nerve to try something. Although what they’d get out of it she had no idea. She wasn’t rich, she’d not wanted any money from her grandparents; it’d all gone to Su. And she hoped that none of her officers were stupid enough to sway to releasing a prisoner. She took a deep breath and decided to wait it out. There would be someone along shortly, either to kill her, which she doubted, given the effort they’d gone to with her prison or give her food and water, to keep her alive for whatever purpose they needed her for. She wedged herself into a corner with a grunt and tried to sleep.

She’d been rudely woken by a bright light being shone in her eyes and then a bucket of water being tipped over her. She suspected the latter hadn’t been intentional and it suggested a certain amateurishness that she hadn’t expected, given the cage set up. They’d thrown down some buns as well before leaving her alone. She ate them grudgingly, annoyed and now feeling half frozen. She was starting to wish she were a water bender. Toph had told her of Katara’s escape from prison using her own sweat. Not that it was warm enough to sweat.

She began to shiver and wondered whether the purpose of this capture was more revenge, rather than bargaining. Which was depressing because that meant she couldn’t rely on it ending any time soon. Or at least, ending with her walking out of here alive. Dying of hypothermia would be such an annoying way to go. She propped herself back up in her corner, trying to rub some warmth into her legs. The aches from the fight she’d put up before being taken were beginning to be noticeable.

“Maybe it’s a sign I should retire.” She snorted to herself, trying to ignore where the cuffs were chafing. “I’m getting too old for this.”

It was day three. Possibly. It was the third time she’d woken up at any rate. They hadn’t returned for the bucket, which she was glad of, even if it was awkward. There hadn’t been anything in the place Amon had locked her up.

“Ugh.” She turned over, trying to think of happier memories. Most of those involved all the times she’d gone to Air Temple Island as a kid. Bumi, with all his fun ideas for games, despite being so much older. Kya, who went along with them, always up for anything that caused a ruckus. Tenzin, with his quiet thoughtfulness that’d always filled her with a sense of calm. Of course, they’d all left in the end. Su and Toph as well. She wondered briefly whether any of them were looking for her.

“Hey, old friend, if you are looking for me, hurry it up.” She muttered. 


	2. Chapter 2

The first day had been frantic. Frantic searching, frantic calling, frantic explaining. Now, by the third day, it’d settled into organised teams and search patterns, regrouping and brainstorming ideas at regular intervals, usually used for food breaks at the same time. It was snowing, which wasn’t helpful. Toph felt truly blind, unable to sense anything through the ‘mush’ that covered the entire city. Which by now, they’d searched in what felt like its entirety. Naga was trying her best, but there’d been a storm and most any chance of tracking a scent was lost. She whined forlornly as Korra once more traced the route Kya had told them was the most usual one for Lin to go home by. She found herself dwelling on the several times she’d been kidnapped, by one group or another, wondering who it was that had taken Lin, and where they would take her. She thought back to the first time, with Amon and Tarrlok and glanced up, at the mountains that peeked above the city skyline. They’d concentrated their searches in Republic City, assuming that whoever had taken Lin had done so for a reason and wouldn’t want to go too far. They hadn’t dared contemplate the other possibility. But Tarrlok had taken her high into the mountains, she remembered seeing as he’d bloodbent her into the small cabin. She wheeled Naga round and urged her on, racing back to the police Headquarters to tell them of her latest idea.

Lin had gotten stiff curled up in the corner and was led down across the base of the cage, stretching herself out, instinctively reaching for metal and cursing when it wasn’t there and then cursing in surprise as she felt metal. Tiny infinitesimal, so small she’d completely missed sensing it without reaching for it. She glanced at the platinum. No, it definitely wasn’t them. That would’ve been miraculous, suddenly finding out she could bend platinum. She closed her eyes, reaching out again.

“Ow!” She swore as a nail scratched the palm of her hand, opening her eyes to stare at it. She scoffed. They went to all the hassle of making the cage out of wood, and then nailed it together with steel nails. Still, that was good luck for her. Sort of. She looked down. Taking all the nails out would give her a pitiful amount of metal and would probably make the cage fall apart to boot, sending her down into whatever chasm was below her.

She wedged her feet into the side of the cage, wishing her hands were free. Clinging on with one hand whilst the other was bending the nails out of the bottom of the cage was a precarious operation that resulted only in a thin thread of metal around her wrist. The bottom fell away and it was a long time before she heard the distant crash. Wrapping the thread around the chain of the cuffs and then around a plank of the cage, she got to work on the other three sides worth of nails.

Her hands were feeling numb and strained by the time she’d finished. And she still had the most dangerous part left to do. Grunting with the effort, she slowly edged her way round the side until she was on the outside of it, able to climb directly onto the roof. She collapsed across it, resting for a moment, before bending the last of the metal nails out. She waited, to see if anyone would come investigate the crash but there was no sound. She tutted as she realised even the hinges for the small door in the top of the cage were metal and added that to her meagre supply. She shaped it into a blade and managed to cut the chain between the cuffs at least, giving her free hands at last.

The four ropes that held the four corners of the top of the cage, joined together into one. There was a wooden rope bridge across the cave, that they’d used for access but she suspected there would be guards outside the door it led to and that escape that way would not be easy. She rolled her shoulders and stood up on the cage top, grabbing hold of the single rope and shinning up it. The rope ladder could still be useful. She hauled herself onto it and walked along it to the opposite side of the cave. The ropes were attached to metal rings and, making sure she was hanging on tightly to the bridge, she bent the metal out of the rock.

There was a terrifying moment of falling and then she slammed into the rock face, immediately digging her fingers into it, sighing in relief as she felt earth. Bendable earth. She cut a small alcove and led there, feeling exhausted from the exertion. But she couldn’t risk being found. She struggled to her feet and cut further into the rock, closing the entrance up behind her once she felt confident she had a big enough air pocket to last her to the surface. She could _feel_ where she was now, deep in a mountain, probably one of the ones in the background of Republic City. There was a cave system above her, with people in it. Her captors. Former captors. She had to stop several times for rest, feeling sweat bead despite the chill. When she judged she’d gone far enough along, she started a steady incline up, crawling now to stop herself sliding back down.

When she reached the surface, a huge pile of snow fell on her through the hole she’d bent. If the cave had been cold, it was nothing compared to being outside in the icy wind. She bent what earth she could around her, hoping it would act as an extra layer of protection and set off, stumbling and sliding down the mountain side. Surely there were people mental enough to live on a mountain and she’d find some shack of theirs and be able to hole up there. If not, it was going to be a long walk home. She plodded on, repeating her wish for Tenzin to hurry up and find her. It wasn’t stormy, he could fly. There were loads of airbenders now as well. Surely, surely, someone would be searching, scanning the ground for her. Not that they’d recognise what must look like a walking pile of earth. She shivered; the cold was getting too much for her. In one last ditch attempt to keep warm, she bent the earth into a ball around her and curled up to try and conserve what little heat she had left. 


End file.
